Merrimack Valley officials say Columbia Gas’ efforts to restore heat and power to the area after a gas explosion knocked out service to thousands in September are inadequate.

“After two months of waiting, hundreds of families are still displaced or are living in very cold conditions,” Lawrence City Councilor Pavel Payano told the Herald. “Many of these families are still paying rent. They are traveling farther to drop off their kids or go to work. Most of them are in living conditions where either their mental or physical health is negatively affected.

“Thanksgiving is almost here and many families will not be able to make their own warm cooked meals,” Payano added. “When you learn about the daily struggles of the people being affected, you learn that the progress has been far from adequate.”

Columbia Gas, however, says progress is being made on restoring service to homes and businesses in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover after an overpressurization incident caused explosions and fires and killed one. The company says 47 percent of residential meters have been restored — or 3,429 based on approximately 7,500 total residential meters. So far, 2,161 families (7,693 people) have been placed in alternative housing. A total of 304 families have returned home from alternative housing and have restored gas service.

Columbia Gas also announced this week that it will provide more than 20,000 meals for Thanksgiving to people in Andover, Lawrence and North Andover.

But local leaders say efforts are wanting.

“They are not meeting any deadline they propose,” said Lawrence City Councilor Jeovanny Rodriguez. “There is still a lot of work to be done. The temperatures are dropping. This is going to be horrible for these people. I don’t see a solution down the line.”

North Andover Town Manager Andrew Maylor said he remains hopeful that homes will be back in service for the holidays.

“It is going OK,” Maylor said. “There have been some positive steps with the amount of resources brought in. But we continue to see a level of inefficiency and redundant visits to homes. We continue to feel we are in the middle of this thing. Residents are cautious.”

Meanwhile, the Massachusetts Senate plans to hold hearings on the gas explosions and natural gas infrastructure on Dec. 4 in Boston and Dec. 17 in the Merrimack Valley.

“I share the many concerns that have been raised about our gas industry over the past several months,” Senate President Karen Spilka said in a statement. “As we approach the cold winter months, we need answers to the questions residents are asking, including wanting to understand precisely what happened in the Merrimack Valley; is our current state oversight appropriate; and how workforce issues are impacting the industry, among other things.”

State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, who represents North Andover, said the state must do everything possible to prevent future threats from gas explosions.

“Gas companies are regulated utilities and we must understand the events and circumstances that caused the situation,” Tarr said in a statement. “Given the toll these events have taken on the Merrimack Valley, it is imperative that we conduct thorough hearings to examine what went wrong and what legislative or regulatory actions might be employed to prevent any future similar incidents anywhere in the state in the future,” Tarr said.

Cold weather ahead

It will be a cold night tonight, really cold.

The lows will be in the mid teens with “no warming trend” in sight, according to the National Weather Service.

Tomorrow and Friday night are also expected to be on the chilly side, with lows in the 20s and 30s.

A storm hitting the region Friday could bring light snow. That November nor’easter will sweep through before dawn on Friday, leaving some accumulation north and west of the city. That will be followed by cold rain.

Kathleen McKiernan is an award-winning journalist who joined The Boston Herald in May 2016 where she has focused on education, homelessness and breaking news in the city of Boston. Before the Herald, she spent three years covering local government, education and human services in Western Massachusetts for The Recorder. Her reporting on domestic violence in Franklin County won an award from the New England Society of News Editors. She also spent a year covering urban education, poverty, city politics and gender issues in New Bedford for The Standard-Times. McKiernan is interested in how public policy impacts people, education reform, welfare and housing policy. She has a Masters of Public Administration from Westfield State University and a bachelor's in journalism and political science from the University of Rhode Island. She is originally from Cranston, Rhode Island. When she is not working, you can find her practicing Bikram yoga, training in Brazilian jiu jitsu or checking out a local brewery.

Kathleen McKiernan is an award-winning journalist who joined The Boston Herald in May 2016 where she has focused on education, homelessness and breaking news in the city of Boston. Before the Herald, she spent three years covering local government, education and human services in Western Massachusetts for The Recorder. Her reporting on domestic violence in Franklin County won an award from the New England Society of News Editors. She also spent a year covering urban education, poverty, city politics and gender issues in New Bedford for The Standard-Times. McKiernan is interested in how public policy impacts people, education reform, welfare and housing policy. She has a Masters of Public Administration from Westfield State University and a bachelor's in journalism and political science from the University of Rhode Island. She is originally from Cranston, Rhode Island. When she is not working, you can find her practicing Bikram yoga, training in Brazilian jiu jitsu or checking out a local brewery.